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Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (1904-1981)

Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham was an African American entertainer. Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor. His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be "Sweet Poppa Pigmeat". Dewey Pigmeat Markham was born April 18, 1904 in Durham, North Carolina. His family was the most prominent on their street, which was later officially renamed Markham Street. Running away from home in 1918, Markham began his career in traveling music and burlesque shows. He took up with a white showman he ambiguously referred to over the years as "Mr. Booker" owner of a "gilly carnival."  For a time he was a member of Bessie Smith's Traveling Revue in the 1920s and later appeared on burlesque bills with such comedy legends as Milton Berle, Red Buttons, and Eddie Cantor. He claims to have originated the Truckin' dance which became nationally popular at the start of the 1930s. Markham performed ...

Abram Petrovich Gannibal (1696 – May 14, 1781)

He was an  Afro-Russian   nobleman ,  military engineer  and  general . Kidnapped as a child and presented as a gift to  Peter the Great , he was raised in the Emperor's household, and eventually rose to become a prominent member of the imperial court in the reign of Peter's daughter  Elizabeth . He is the great-grandfather of the author and poet  Alexander Pushkin . The main reliable accounts of Gannibal's life come from  Peter the Great's Negro , Pushkin's unfinished biography of his great-grandfather, published after Pushkin's death in 1837. Scholars argue that Pushkin's account may be inaccurate due to the author’s desire to elevate the status of his ancestors and family. There are a number of contradictions between the biographies of Pushkin and the German novel,  The Blackamoor of Peter the Great . One such a historical biography by Gannibal's son-in-law Rotkirkh was largely responsible for the myth, propagated by som...

Contractor And "Sportin' Man"

Then Not much is known about T. C. Windham prior to his arrival in Birmingham, Alabama in 1910's: only that he came from Arkansas, where he had substantial business interests. it is known that he was already a man of considerable wealth who had great skills as a builder and contractor. At the time of his arrival, many of the city's prominent black professional and white-collar workers lived in Smithfield, a community just to the west of the Birmingham, Alabama city center. Windham soon bought a block of real estate in Smithfield and built a two-story brick mansion that reflected not only his wealth, but also his business abilities. Located on Eighth Avenue North, it featured the best contemporary craftsmanship, including elaborately carved woodwork, stained glass, and fine furnishings. Working with his brother, R. L. Windham, Windham went on to build many other residences in the area. But it is the churches and commercial projects that now highlight the Windham const...